Wreck-preventer.



H. KELLY.

WRECK PREVENTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2, 1917.

1,286,315.; Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

I 3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

INVENTOR WITNESSES H. KELLY.

WRECK PREVENTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. I917- Patented, Aug. 7,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR Wmwzsszs ATTORNEY H. KELLY.

WRECK PREVENTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. 19H.

1,236, 3 1 5 Patented A 7 1917 I 3 SHETSSHEET 3-.

INVENTOR jy, WM BY 6/2? i Y WITNESSES ANT Win HENRY KELLY, OF PHOENIX, ALABAMA.

WRECK-IREVENTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 7, 1917..

Application filed March 2, 1917. Serial No. 152,111.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY KELLY, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Phoenix, in the county of Lee and State of Alabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wreck-Preventers, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to wreck preventers or railway safety appliances for rolling stock, and has for one of its objects the provision of track gripping means which will brakingly engage a track to retard the progress ofthe train, and to prevent the cars or coaches piling up and overturning in event of a collision.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety appliance of this nature which may be engaged with a track by air pressure and which will automatically disengage itself-when the air pressure is relieved.

The invention also aims to generally improve wreck preventers to render them more pgactical, useful and commercially desira le.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railway coach showing the application of my invention thereto.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view showing the appliances at one end of the coach and the operating mechanism therefor.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the floor of the coach, showing the safety appliance in elevation with the gripping members inoperative.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view from side to side showing one of the safety units with the gripping members operatively engaging with a rail.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view on a plane and passing centrally between the gripping units at one end of the coach showing the raising and lowering means.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the shoes, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the other shoe. 1

Referring in detail to the drawings by numerals, l designates as an entirety a steel railway coach or Pullman having a floor or bottom 2 and trucks 3, 4. My safety appliance is mounted on the bottom of the car and preferably comprises two sets of gripping units arranged adjacent the trucks 3 and 4.

Each of the safety units comprises a preferably rectangular plunger 5 slidable vertically through a sleeve or guide 6, which is fixed in position over a rail by means of the arms 7 and 8 secured by bolts or other suitable fastening means to the body of the car.

The plunger is formed on its upper end with a flange 9 and is formed adjacent its lower end on each side with a downwardly opening socket 10 in which is pivotally mounted a gripping shoe 11. Each shoe comprises a rounded head 12, a neck 13 and a gripping portion 14. The head has a limited rotational movement in its socket and the neck 13 by engaging one or the other of the faces 15 at the flared lower end of the socket limits the swing of the shoe. A pivot bolt 16 extends through the reduced portion of the plunger and supports a pair of shoes. The heads 17 of the bolt are spaced sufficient-ly far apart to allow the shoes to move laterally away from each other a sufiicient distance to clear the head of a rail. To draw the mated shoes toward each other, I provide a pair of transverse rods 18 extending through openings in the shoe and encircled by expansive helical springs 19 held in position by the heads 20. Each of the shoes is formed on its inner side with a recess 21 to accommodate the head of the rail and the lower wall of this recess is inclined downwardly and outwardly from its central point and formed with upwardly facing teeth 22. The teeth on opposite sides of the center of the recess face in opposite directions and all point toward the transverse center of the shoe. YVhen the coach is moving in one direction, the teeth in one set will bite into the under side of the rail head and when the coach is moving in the opposite direction, the teeth in the other set will become operative. The lower face of the shoes are inclined away from the rail and the end portions of the shoes are similarly inclined.

The safety units operate in pairs and the plungers 5 of each pair are comiected by a brake beam 24 having a central opening 25 through which projects an arm 26 of a bell crank lever 27. The lever is pivotally secured by a bolt 28 between ears 29 mounted on the cross bar 30. The upper arm of the bell c ank lever is connected to a brake rod 31 which is connected to a pivoted lever 32 which may be rocked either manually or by air. 33 designates a rod running to a hand wheel for operating the lever 32, and 34L designates the piston rod of an air controlled piston. To return the brake beam to elevated position after having been forced downwardly, I provide the contractile springs p k In case of emergency, the lever 32 is operated either y air or manually to lower the brake beam and operatively engage the gripping shoes with the track. As the shoes in their descent come into engagement with a rail, they spread apart and admit the head of the rail into the recesses 21. Then the teeth 22 will bite into the under side of the rail head and quickly bring the train to a stand still. The shoes being pivotally mounted, may swing slightly to engage all of the teeth in one set with the rail. It will be apparent that these shoes not only provide auxiliary brake means but will also serve to hold a coach in an uprightposition in event of a collision. When the danger is past, the brake beam is freed of its down ward pressure and as soon as the track shoes come into contact with an angle iron, they will be spread apart and be drawn into inoperative position by the springs 35.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that I have provided a very simple and practical wreck preventer which may be quickly thrown into operation and which is automatically returned to inoperative position when released.

Thile I have shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be clearly understood that I do not wish to be limited to this construction, but may make such changes as will fall within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

lVhat I claim is 1. A safety appliance for railway rolling stock inclnding a vertically movable plunger, guide means for said plunger, a pair of mated track shoes pivotally connected to the lower end of said plunger and movable toward and away from each other, the shoes being provided on their opposed, faces with recesses to accommodate a rail, and the lower walls of said recesses being inclined downwardly in opposite directions from their central point and formed with oppositely facingteeth adapted to bite into the under side of rail head, means for lowering the plunger to operatively engage the teeth of the shoes with a rail, and means for do vating the plunger.

2. A safety appliance for railway rolling stock including a vertically movable plunger, guide means for said plunger, the plunger being formed in its sides adjacent its lower end with downwardly opening recesses, gripping shoes mounted on said pivot pin and movable toward and away from each other the lower ends of the recesses being flared to allow a limited oscillatory movement to the shoes, the bottom face of the shoes being downwardly inclined away from the rail and the terminals of the shoes being inclined outwardly away from the rail, and means formed tin the shoe for en gaging the under side of the rail heads.

In a railway safety appliance for railway rolling stock, a vertically movable plunger, guide means said plunger, track -gripping shoes pivoted to the lower ends of said plunger on opposite sides thereof and movable toward and away from each other, means formed on the shoe for engagement with the under side 'of the rail head the shoes being also formed with hannels in their opposed faces toclear bolts and nuts at the rail oints, the shoes being so formed as to automatically spread apart to receive a rail when lowered and to spread apart when a joint in the track is encountered, means for lowering the plunger into opera as the position and means to elevate the p'lnngerwhen the shoes are spread apart by encounter with a track joint.

4:. In a railway safety appliance for rail- ,way rolling stock, a pair of vertically moV- ieo able p'lnngers, guide means for said plung'ei-s, a brake beam connecting the plungers,

a pivotally mounted bell crank lever having one arm slidably eXIt-e'nded through said brake beam, means for rocking said bell 165 crank lever to lower the brake beam, spring i means for elevating the brake beam and tra k engaging shoe-s secured on the lower ands of said plunger-s.

5. In a safety appliance for railway rolling stock, a vertically inovable plnnger, a traction shoe pivotally connected to the lower end of said plnnger and movable laterally, the shoe being provided on its inner face with a recess to accoiniriodate a rail, the lower wall of "said re'cess being inclined downwardly in opposite directions from its central point and formed with oppositely facingteeth adapted tobite into the under side of a rail head and means for raising and lowering the plunger.

6. In a safety appliance for railway rolling stock, a track engaging shoe having one side recessed to accommodate a rail, the lower wall of said recess being inclined 1-25 downwardly in opposite directions from its central point and formed with oppositely facing teeth adapted to bite into the nnder side of a rail head. 7

7. In a railway safety appliance, a pair lee of plungers, means connecting said plungers, a pivotally mounted bell crank lever having one arm slidably engaged with said means, means for rocking said bell crank lever to lower said first mentioned means, spring means for elevating the said first mentioned means, and track engaging shoes secured on the lower ends of said plungers.

8. In a safety appliance of the character described, a vertically movable plunger, a pivoted bell crank lever slidably engaged with said plunger, means for rocking said bell crank lever to lower the plunger, spring means for returning the plunger to its elevated position, and track engaging means secured to the lower end of the plunger.

9. In a safety appliance for railway rolling stock, a track engaging shoe recessed to accommodate a rail, and means formed on one wall of said recess to engage the 1111- der side of a rail head, said shoe being mounted to rock longitudinally of the rail.

10. In a safety appliance for railway rolling stock, a track engaging shoe recessed to accommodate a rail, and teeth formed on one wall of said recess to bite into the under side of a rail head, the shoe being mounted to rock longitudinally of the rail to bring the teeth into operative engagement with the rail head.

11. In a railway safety appliance of the character described, vertically movable plungers, means rigidly connecting said plungers, a lever slidably engaging said means, means for actuating said lever to lower the plungers, means for elevating the plungers and track engaging means carried by said plungers.

In testimony whereof I my signature.

HENRY KELLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

